


The Son of Hecate: The Fall of New York

by blueartille



Series: The Son of Hecate [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-01 10:08:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18798211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueartille/pseuds/blueartille
Summary: JoJo Nowak is a normal 7-year-old boy. He likes to learn, enjoys playing games, and loves music. He's perfectly normal, aside from the fact that he was born in 1870 and the year is 2019. Never mind the fact that his mom wasn't his real mom, now it's a hundred and fifty years later and he's a demigod? He can't even read! And water costs a dollar!JoJo is brought to Camp Half-Blood with his friends Fred and Coon with the some luck, but is barely given time to settle in before disaster strikes.





	1. New York has really changed over the years

JoJo was having a very bad day. One minute he was handing an old regular his daily paper, and the next he found himself on his back in the middle of an empty field.

"Oy, Mister! You forgot to give me me penny! Oh mister, you'll regret this, you will!" shouted Coon. He was talking in his sleep again. It was so annoying when he did that, and he usually ended up being hit with a newspaper to wake him up.

Coon was a scrawny boy around twelve years old, not that he knew for sure. He wore his cap that he bought instead of shoes, because he was used to being barefoot anyway and people usually took pity on him and tipped him when he sold papers to them. His brown hair was long and messy, and probably hadn't been cut in over a year. His eyes were a bright blue, but he wasn't the brightest.

"Coon? Coon! Wake up! COON!" JoJo smacked Coon with the newspaper still in his hand.

JoJo usually wasn't the one to smack Coon. That was usually Fred's job. JoJo was a small boy around seven. He was on the short side, and most people mistook him for younger than he was. He wore suspenders and shorts with a shirt tucked in. Everything was a bit big on him, including his cap. Under his cap, he wore a bandanna to hide his hair. People didn't take kindly to little boys with tight curls and weren't very kind to him when he let his hair show. If he wore the bandanna, all the people looked at him just like they looked at the little boys with straight hair.

"Oh, Joey, whatdya want? Where's that mister that didn't give me me penny? Oh, rats, where's we?" Coon shot up from where he was lying down.

"I don't know, Coon. You see Fred anywhere? I ain't know what's going on but he's always got answers. Fred knows everything." JoJo admired Fred. He was sort of the leader of their little trio.

"Right. Um. I don't know. Have you tried shouting for him?" said Coon.

"Uh...no?"

"Uh...no?" Coon mocked, "Why didn't you? The best way to find people is to shout for 'em." Coon stood and wiped the dirt from his clothes. He grumbled something about just having washed them yesterday.

"S'pose I might then. FRED!"

"Aw, Joe, can't a man get some sleep? I swears I al- Where am I?" Fred was behind some bushes. When he shot up, he had some leaves and sticks in his hair that he must have felt because he brushed most of it away.

Fred was tall and around thirteen. He was almost double JoJo's height, which wasn't much of a feat, but still. He made sure to keep his hair rather neat, as he found that people thought better of him if he grinned and kept clean, not that he really cared much either way. He didn't wear a hat like the other boys, and even though it was almost winter, he wore a tank top tucked into his long pants.

At least it was supposed to be almost winter, but it felt more like late summer.

"Get outta that brush, Fred, an' come join us, why don't you?" Coon shouted. He picked a lone piece of dirt off his shoulder and gave a look of satisfaction.

"Aye, I might. Still stands, though, where are we?" Fred crawled out of the brush and joined the other two boys. He was the tallest of the three, but wasn't too much taller than Coon. Just a few inches.

"Don't know, Fred." said Coon.

"Stop sayin' my name every time you speak, Coon, it's annoying."

"Boys, what's those buildings?" said JoJo. He pointed past the trees to a large city with very tall gray buildings. The sun was high above them, but was approaching the city slowly.

"What buildings? We's in the middle of nowheres." said Coon.

"Those buildings. What are those buildings?" Fred pointed at the city. He wore a look of amazement very similar to JoJo's.

"And what's that in the sky? There's some conception that's flying!" JoJo yelled. He pointed at the flying thing. It seemed to be a bird at first, but the wings didn't flap and it didn't move like a bird. It made a weird noise, too, that wasn't at all bird-like.

"Contraption," Fred corrected. "And no it ain't, things can't fly, you - oh. Oh it is flying. How's it doin' that?" His mouth was wide open as he stared in confusion.

"Mister Hannigan always did say there was magic in these parts, you knows. Maybe we got transported to some city some thousand years in the future." said Coon. Fred elbowed him for his stupid thought.

"You don't really think all three of us just poofed into 2877, do you?" said Fred.

"Well-"

"Well there's only one way to find out, ain't there? Let's go to the buildings!" JoJo made a move for the city, but Fred grabbed his arm before he could move more than a step. Once Fred let go, JoJo remembered his jacket - it was much too big for him, but it was a gift. Albeit now somewhat dirty. He tried to shake the dirt out, and a lot went flying.

"Joey, are you mad? We shouldn't just go to some city, we need to find our way back home," said Fred.

"And what if that's in the city? We can ask for help," Coon suggested.

"Yeah, come on! And besides, may as well figure out what that flying conception is!" JoJo said. He made another start, but Fred grabbed his arm again.

"Contraption!" Fred corrected.

"Oh, alright. Contrapt-tion."

"Close enough. Fine. So we's gonna go to some city we don't know with people we ain't never seen before and we's just gonna ask someone 'hey do we's get back to New York City and oh, what year is it'? They're gonna think we're mad," said Fred. He threw his arms up in frustration.

"You got any other ideas?" said Coon.

"...No," Fred admitted.

"Then what's the hold-up? Come on!" said Coon.

"Oh, Coon, let's be sneaky about it. It's more fun that way!" JoJo begged. He held his hands together in pleading position, and gave his best puppy dog eyes. He even stuck his lower lip out into a pout for good measure.

"Aye, you don't want to cause no ruckus. You've had enough run-ins with the pigs in New York, you don't want to spread that to other cities too else they'll ship you right off to some remote island," said Fred.

"Joey, think that's true?" Coon whispered. He was very gullible for a twelve year old.

"Probably," said JoJo. Fred was always right.

"Oh. Guess we's sneakin' then," grumbled Coon. He preferred to make a scene, but it was two against one. As always.

"Good. No ruckus," said Fred.

"No ruckus," agreed Coon and JoJo.

The boys started towards the city, all three of them unsure and scared. This was nothing like any of them had ever seen before, and they had no idea how they'd gotten here in the first place, or why it wasn't winter anymore. They needed to find out and get back home, and it was looking like the city was the only way. So on they went.

 

\---

 

"Boys, I think maybe we did get magically transported a thousand years into the future," said Fred. They were closer to the city now, and it was getting louder and louder. They couldn't see it very well as there was a lot of buildings and a decent amount of trees. They could see the buildings, all of which were incredibly tall.

"I thought you said there was no such thing as magic?" said JoJo.

"There ain't. At least there ain't supposed to be. I don't know what's going on," Fred admitted. He seemed tired. Not from the walking, they were used to a lot of walking. He seemed exhausted from trying to process all of this new stuff. It was overwhelming!

"Either we all having the same fever dream or we're nearing the year 3000," said Coon.

"Did we all get scarlet fever? I don't feel hot," said JoJo. He felt his forehead and it was a normal temperature.

"We ain't got no fever. Come on, let's get closer," said Fred. He looked like he needed a rest, but no one told Fred to take a rest - he'd get stubborn and never take one. He'd collapsed more than once from overdoing himself just because someone told him to take a rest. He was too proud for his own good sometimes.

"This city is loud. There's all those people yellin' and ... loud angry noises. All sharp-like. Why's a city gotta be so loud?" Coon complained. Every once in a while he would make a face and cover his ears. He pulled his hat down over his ears as much as it would go, but it didn't seem to be doing much for him. The sound was still overwhelming.

"Or buildings so tall. They's at least gotta be a billion feet tall," said JoJo. The buildings were admirable, but the idea of them scared him. What if they fell down? Lots of people would get hurt. He vowed never to go inside one of those buildings if he could avoid it.

"Yeah, at least," Fred agreed.

"Ten million floors in each building. How do they stay up?" JoJo said.

"Must get really chilly," said Coon. They must've had a furnance on each floor, but wouldn't that fill the rooms up with smoke? They didn't seem to have too good ventilation.

"Oh and it smells bad," said JoJo. They were near enough to smell it now. He scrunched up his nose in disgust and pretended to gag.

"It reeks something awful," agreed Fred.

"Oh, you oughtn't say 'awful', Fred, remember the teacher said it's rude," JoJo said.

"Yeah, I don't think we'll be dealing with that old man any time soon," said Fred. He picked up a discarded newspaper from the grass and inspected it. None of it seemed to make sense to him, because he looked very confused.

"Why's that?" JoJo asked.

"See this pape?" Fred showed it to JoJo briefly then let Coon see. Coon's face turned white. He walked some ways ahead and settled just behind a tree, where he gazed beyond it.

"Yeah, but you know I can't read," said JoJo.

"Yeah well this date says it's August fifteenth of the year 2019," said Fred. He pointed to a corner of the paper. He looked more nervous than he did before and messed up his hair.

"That's not possible, it's 1877. And we're already past my birthday," said JoJo.

"I guess anything is possible, Joey. See, look, they've got all these girls in pants. And bright colors, and short hair. And short hair in bright colors. These big ... machines? They's like carriages, seems like, but they move by magic instead of horses. No one's dressed like us. They's all dressed improper except just a couple." Coon said. He must've had a better look than Fred and JoJo did from where he was, because the other two couldn't see any of that.

"What machines? I don't see anything," said Fred.

"Over here, look past this tree," said Coon. He waved Fred over and JoJo followed. He was right, everyone looked very strange.

"Oh, wow. These people, they ain't dressed nothing like us. How we supposed to sneak in when you ain't even wearing shoes, Coon? Everyone's wearing shoes," said JoJo. He swallowed nervously. He felt like he was going to cry. All of this was too new, too different. He wanted to go home and talk to his old regulars and play with the other girls and boys on the street. One of the other boys had just bought a ball and they were going to kick it around.

"Everyone? I knew I should have bought those shoes even though they were fifteen cents," said Coon. He looked down at his feet, which were very dirty. He preferred to keep clean, but being barefoot all the time made that impossible.

"Fifteen cent shoes, Coon? I bought mine for five," said Fred. JoJo had gotten his shoes when a lady he saw often gave them to him - her son had just grown out of them and she had no need for them. That was a good thing, because his old shoes were too small and his toes stuck out holes in the front. These ones were much better quality.

"They were nice shoes! I was saving up," Coon argued.

"Come on, boys, we've got to find a way in," said JoJo.

They found their way into the city. The noise was very bothersome for all three of them, but they managed to cope with it. What bothered them more was all the smells. Some smells were good, but most of it was far from. Coon was right, everyone looked so different from them. Other people stared at them strangely, especially Coon with his long hair and bare feet. He seemed really embarrassed. Even JoJo was a little dirty, and probably smelled bad from how people seemed to avoid him.

"Move it, kid." said a rude man JoJo had never seen before. The man shoved JoJo to the side. He seemed like he was in a hurry.

"Sorry, sir," said JoJo.

Everyone was walking beside the road, which weren't dirt like they were in 1877. 2019 roads were different. They were gray and smoother and had paint on them. The loud and smelly magic carriages seemed to follow the instructions of magic lights and the paint. They stopped when the lights turned red and moved when they turned green. JoJo wasn't sure what it meant when the lights turned yellow, but people only walked on the road at certain points when the lights were red. Probably so they wouldn't get hit by the carriages.

"Mommy, why isn't that boy wearing shoes?" a little girl asked. She wore her hair up and a pink shirt with sparkles on it. She was pointing at Coon, but she needn't have because Coon was the only person not wearing shoes.

"Don't worry about it, hon," her mom said. She seemed nervous, and pulled her little girl closer to her.

While JoJo was watching this, he accidently walked into a moving seat that a baby was sitting in and a woman was pushing.

"Don't touch my son, boy!" the mom pushing the carriage yelled. She almost shoved JoJo away, but caught herself.

"Sorry, ma'am," said JoJo.

"Sure you are. I'm so sick of these vagrants. I'm just trying to walk my baby. Get away from my son before I call the police."

"I hate this city so far," said Fred as they pulled off into an alleyway between two big buildings made of brick. These buildings weren't as big as the other ones. They needed to take a breather from all of the people and pushing.

"People have no manners!" said Coon.

"As if you do?" JoJo remarked.

"I've got more than they do," Coon grumbled.

"Oh! Excuse me, sir, could you help us?" Fred said to the next man who passed by. He looked kind enough at first, but had a mean face as soon as he saw the boys. JoJo moved behind Fred.

"I don't have any money to spare," said the men.

"We don't -" Fred started.

"No money! Go away!" the man moved on from them. His pocket made a weird noise, and he pulled out a rectangular box from it. The picture it made changed as he moved his fingers, and he seemed to be making words. A pocket typewriter?

JoJo turned around and noticed a man sitting behind a silver can that, at further look, held garbage. He seemed tired, but he had a dog so he must've been nice. He was just about as dirty as the three boys were, and his hair was long and greasy like Coon's.

"Excuse me, sir, could you please help us?" said JoJo. The man looked up at him, surprised for a moment but his eyes quickly returned to the exhaustive state they were in before.

"What do you want? I'm sorry, I don't have much to give you," he said.

"We don't want anything. Could you tell us where we are?" said JoJo. He put on his best sad face to make sure this man wouldn't act like the other one.

"You're in New York City, buddy. The city that never sleeps. Figures, I haven't slept in days," the man lamented. He yawned widely. His dog whined and he pet it to comfort it. JoJo wanted to pet it, but he knew better than to pet a strange dog.

"Oh -oh um, thank you sir. Fred!" JoJo gave the man a quick smile before rushing off to where Fred and Coon were now sitting. They looked defeated and almost as tired as that man who hadn't slept in days.

"Yeah?" said Fred.

"Did something happen?" Coon asked.

"That man said we're in New York. As in the city. As in where we live," said JoJo in a rushed whisper. Coon and Fred both rushed to their feet and huddled around JoJo.

"That's not possible. It's so different," said Fred. He looked over his shoulder and waved his point as if to make a point like JoJo hadn't noticed.

"Where did they get all the magic carriages?" asked Coon. His eyes sparked with curiosity.

"They're so loud," said JoJo. He shrugged, though. The man didn't give him that information.

"And there's so many of them. I don't like it," said Fred. "Come on."

The boys stepped out of the alleyway back onto the sidewalk. It was starting to get dark and street lamps that turned on automatically were beginning to light. It was time to get moving or they might not find a place to sleep or something to eat.

"Excuse me, boys. Are you lost?" a man asked. He wore a shiny badge and a hat, and JoJo guessed he was probably a policeman.

"Yes, sir. Can you help us?" said JoJo.

"Where do you need to go?" the policeman asked.

"1877," said JoJo.

"Stupid, he's going to think you're crazy," Fred whispered. He lightly punched JoJo on the arm. Fred was right, he shouldn't have said that.

"Of what street?" the policeman said. JoJo was glad he didn't think the year. Then again, why would he?

"Um. I forgot," said JoJo. He sheepishly looked down at his feet.

"I can call your parents. Do you have their phone numbers?" said the policeman.

"Their phone numbers? Um. No." JoJo had no idea what a phone number was or what the policeman meant when he offered to call them. Was he just going to shout down the street? With all those people, it wouldn't make a difference. It didn't matter anyway, none of them had parents.

"We don't got no parents, mister. Don't need 'em. We've got jobs and can take care of our own selves. Where's the lodging house?" Coon piped in. He was proud about having no parents and taking care of himself. A lot of the boys were proud of the same thing at the lodging house.

"There isn't any. Not for kids, son. And none of you look old enough to have jobs. Do you have foster parents, legal guardians, a friend you're staying with? Anything like that?" The policeman seemed confused. How much had changed between 1877 and 2019? It seemed like so much. What was a foster parent, anyway?

"N-" JoJo started.

"Yes, sir. Just trying to find our friend. He ran off to buy some supper for his ma. Thanks," Fred said before JoJo could finish. The policeman didn't look very convinced.

"Hm. Well, you call this number if you need a place to sleep. We'll sort something out for you," the policeman said. He handed JoJo a piece of paper with words and a long string of numbers with dashes in between some of them. JoJo pretended to read them as the policeman clearly expected that he could.

"Thank you, sir," said JoJo. The policeman seemed satisfied and walked away.

"Hey Fred, what's a phone?" Coon whispered to Fred.

"No idea," said Fred.

"Are we gonna be here a long time?" asked JoJo. It was starting to get chilly, so he donned his jacket. He looked so ridiculously small in it, but it was a gift from his dad before he sent JoJo to New York. His adoptive dad, anyway. He used to be from New York first, but his mom and dad moved away and left him behind. His adoptive dad had found him on the street and took him in.

"I think so, Joe. We might just have to get used to the noise and the rude people," said Fred. He put a hand on JoJo's shoulder and mustered a comforting smile.

"Oh," said JoJo, forlorn. He didn't like that answer.

"Don't sound so disappointed. It's not like we've got any folks to miss. We'll find our way," said Fred. He put his arm around JoJo's shoulders and pulled him in close.

"Yeah, Joey. We's our own family," said Coon, and the three boys continued on their way, taking in this new New York as they went.


	2. A foster what?

JoJo did not like how New York had become. It was loud, people were mean, and not many people were interested in his newspapers. A lot laughed and gave him a few cents anyway - one man gave him five dollars! JoJo figured he could buy dinner for the rest of the month with that, and then some.

He was quickly corrected when they found a store with tons of food in weird clear packaging that crinkled when he touched it. Some of the food was in tall cold boxes that had shelves, and each thing of food had its own box, too. Five dollars wouldn't last him a day in this time.

The boys were sitting in an alleyway, where they'd learned no one would bother them much or give them a second look. The sun was almost set behind the city, and all the lights were on now. It was beautiful in a way, and overwhelming in another.

"This is stupid!" JoJo declared. "All I've got is a handful of pennies and nickels and that's supposed to be a lot but I can't get anything for it here." He kicked the wall defiantly, but the wall didn't react. Hmph.

"Ain't it just that, Joe." Fred wiped his forehead. He was getting sweaty. He preferred the cool weather of autumn and early winter. He didn't like any of this summer nonsense, or he'd be wearing shorts instead of pants. He wasn't too old for them.

"It's getting dark. Do you think maybe we should use these numbers?" Coon suggested. His stomach rumbled in desperation. How long had it been since they'd eaten? At least a few hours, but it could've been days. Maybe he thought he would find something in the silver cans, because he started digging in them. Ew. JoJo thought that was the most disgusting thing he'd ever seen Coon do, and Coon had done some very disgusting things. Now he'd be all smelly too.

"And do what with them? We can't just go up to a man and say 'hey what are these numbers for?'. They'd think we was dumb." Fred sighed. Nothing was a good idea to him today. JoJo wondered if the heat was getting to him. He usually had all the answers.

"Things are loud and smell bad," JoJo said. He swatted a fly away from his face. He had quickly learned that the silver cans carrying garbage were no good places to hang out. They had bugs flying around and mice scurrying about and all over JoJo's feet. He hated it, but there was no place else to go. "Carryin' the banner ain't gonna be the same in this New York as it is in ours."

"Youre right. This isn't our New York," Fred said. He seemed like he was trying to convince himself. JoJo frowned. Why would Fred be unsure of himself? "We can sleep here, if anyplace."

JoJo pondered that for a second, but he hated that idea. Mice, scuttling about on his belly while he slept. They took a liking to the garbage, what if they took a liking to him? He probably smelled like the garbage at this point, which was awful. What if he woke up and there was a mouse eating his belly? He swallowed. He didn't have anything to throw up.

"I don't like that idea," said Coon. He was a little apprehensive. Fred knew what he was doing, but even JoJo knew a silver can of garbage wasn't the best nightstand. "Doesn't seem a good one. People are mean here."

"You have any good suggestions, then, Coon?" Fred rose to his feet and kicked the wall just as JoJo had before. It still didn't react, much to JoJo's disappointment. "We don't know what those numbers do or how to use them."

JoJo thought for a moment. "Well he called it a pho-number. Maybe we could go into a store and see if someone has something to use a pho-number with. They can use the numbers and we go from there."

"What if we use them wrong?" Fred said.

"We'll see what the other people do," JoJo suggested. "Maybe they use them on those pocket typewriters they have." Many people had walked by looked down at their little pocket typewriters, typing away. Some of them had the same rectangular boxes by their ears and were talking into them. JoJo figured they must've teleported their voices to other people probably with the same boxes. He thought that was really cool - something that could teleport voices and also be a typewriter and also fit in a pocket.

"You have a good point." Fred took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. He waited a moment to let it go. He seemed calmer when he finally opened his eyes, like breathing deeply would just take away his worries. "Okay. Let's find a store where they won't yell at Coon for not wearing shoes."

"Nah, it's okay. I found a pair in the garbage. They're a little dirty, but they'll let me in the store." Coon showed off his prize by dangling it from the shoelaces. They were short shoes unlike JoJo and Fred's boots. JoJo thought they couldn't have been very comfortable, and that's why they were thrown away, but they looked pretty worn out. Someone had worn those shoes to their deaths.

"They're a bit big," Fred pointed out. He was right, Coon had big feet, but these shoes were for older boys or men, not twelve year old kids whose idea of a growth spurt was an inch in a month.

"Yeah, but they'll do for a store," said Coon.

"And they're smelly. Oh wait, that's just your feet," JoJo teased. He grinned widely and softly punched Coon on the arm.

"Oh, shut up, Joey," said Coon, pretending to be offended, but he soon grinned and went straight into tickling JoJo endlessly.

"Alright, boys, let's go," said Fred in his best I'm-an-authority-figure voice. He'd been working on that voice since before JoJo met him, it seemed. He was very good at it. Sometimes kids on the street would listen to him, and he ended a lot of fights using his authority-figure voice. It was very effective.

Fred led the way. He kept JoJo in the middle of Coon and himself because JoJo was the smallest. The three boys explored the area, looking into every shop window. It was weird, every place here seemed to have electric lighting. Maybe everyone was rich in the future and that was why they had electricity and five dollar sandwiches.

The goal was to find as empty a shop as possible. That way, they risked less people looking at them weird and pushing them around. JoJo really felt like he needed a bath because everyone kept staring at them.

Fred turned a corner and JoJo followed. He thought he saw something strange in an alleyway. He'd seen strange things all day, but this was different strange. It was something he'd seen as a kid in New York. Well, old New York. Nothing seemed to be the same, so this familiar thing was more off-putting than the other strange things.

He shook his head. No, he was imagining things. It looked like a living shadow. Dark, malicious. He was probably just getting tired. It had been a long day. To prove it, he yawned.

Fred stopped them at the front of a store that looked almost desolate despite the bustle of the city. It was small, and one of the electric lights in the ceiling was blinking on and off. It made JoJo a little dizzy, so he kept his eyes at his feet as he followed Fred and Coon inside. Fred pushed him ahead towards the tender whose desk was right by the front window where they could see outside and all the store at once. JoJo looked back at Fred incredulously, but he gave him a look that said You talk. Maybe JoJo smelled the least bad.

JoJo approached the tender timidly. He kept his head down, but took out the slip of paper that the officer had handed him from his pocket.

"Hello," the tender greeted in a bored, monotonous tone. "Did you find everything okay?"

"Do you know how to use these numbers?" JoJo didn't make eye contact, but stood on his toes to hand the paper to the tender over the tall desk.

The desk wasn't tall for Coon or Fred, but JoJo was small. It had a big rectangular box standing up that had a bunch of numbers and words on it like the pocket typewriters. A wire connected it to an oval and another wire to a mostly flat black board with buttons on it. Was this supposed to be a typewriter, too? JoJo didn't see the point of having so many kinds of typewriters right there.

Oh well. He looked back at the girl tender. She had sunken, tired eyes and did not look like she wanted to be serving three smelly boys. The question of 'do you know how to use these numbers' however, had gotten her attention. A flicker of confusion passed over her otherwise emotionless face.

"...Yes? Do you want me to call it?"

"Yes, please," said JoJo. "We don't have anything to use them with."

He resisted the urge to climb on the desk. He couldn't see her very well, but he kept getting yelled at for climbing things in New York. Old New York. Old York?

The girl sighed and took the slip of paper from JoJo's hands. She reached in her pocket and took out one of those pocket typewriters. This one was blue with yellow flowers on it. Perhaps the boys were right and the pocket typewriters were what the numbers were used on? She pressed the pocket typewriter a few times and put it up to her ear.

"Hello? I have three boys here. They wanted to speak with you," the tender said into the box. "Okay. No I don't but I can get them." She lowered the pocket typewriter from her ear and redirected her attention to the boys. "What are your names?"

"I'm Fred, that's JoJo, and that's Coon," Fred piped in. He pulled JoJo aside, who was beginning to get antsy and play with things he maybe shouldn't have, like a weird pencil attached to another rectangular box. The pencil didn't even write!

"Fred, JoJo, Coon. Can I hand the phone over?" The tender must have gotten confirmation because she thrust the pocket typewriter - the phone - towards Fred. JoJo guessed she was thinking please get these smelly boys out of here as fast as possible.

"Hello?" said Fred. He was louder than the girl had been. JoJo and Coon looked at him expectantly. Curiosity surged through JoJo's veins. He suddenly had so many questions to ask about this thing called a phone.

"Can you hear him?" JoJo urged.

"Yes," Fred said to JoJo before returnign his attention to the phone. "Yes, we do. Need one, anyway. Oh. We're at a food store. Um, what is this store called?"

The tender sighed and told them. JoJo wasn't sure, but he thought he heard her mutter "these kids illerate or something, jeez".

Fred repeated the name of the store into the phone, then gave the address in a similar transaction of words. "Yeah, we can stay here," Fred said. The man must've said goodbye because Fred handed the phone back over to the girl.

JoJo thought it was fascinating how someone could talk to someone else without anyone else hearing the other person. That was awesome.

"Thanks. You can wait in those seats over there." The tender pointed to a row of seats just underneath the window. She suddenly seemed very interested in them, and she wasn't plugging her nose so it wasn't the smell. "Everything alright, boys?"

"Just trying to find a place to sleep," JoJo said.

"Oh- okay. Well, I'm sure Mr. Parry will be here soon." She looked a bit taken aback and concerned. She would've been the first. You'd think more people would care about three young boys wandering the city filthy, but that was hardly the case in JoJo and his friends' situation.

The boys settled on the seats and JoJo leaned on Fred. His feet didn't reach the floor, so he swung them instead of bouncing. He could never sit still.

"So what happens next?" said JoJo

"We wait," Fred said simply.

"For?" Coon asked.

"The man," JoJo said. The policeman, the pig. They were waiting for a pig to help them.

"How long is that gonna take?" said Coon.

"Not long if he uses one of those carriages, but there are a lot of them making it all go slower," said Fred. JoJo wasn't sure the carriages could go faster than they were, at least he wouldn't have been sure if he hadn't seen one going faster than his eye could follow before. He hoped they wouldn't have to go in a carriage, especially if he would have to go that fast.

"Half an hour?" JoJo suggested.

"Sounds reasonable," said Fred.

"What do we do then, when he gets here?"

"Dunno. D'you remember those orphan trains? Like the one you jumped offa?" Fred asked. He looked over his shoulder and out the window, but no man was present yet. JoJo wasn't surprised.

"Yeah, but it's been over a hundred years. Do you think they're still going?" said JoJo. He hoped they weren't. He didn't want to go back on them. The trains were supposed to be a good thing, but he didn't want to get put in a house that would call him their son and make him do work that he didn't want to do. That was all they really were. Child work trains.

"If they are, we might be jumping off a train soon. We's brothers," Fred assured them. "We stick together."

"And if not?" Coon said.

"Then we've got a bed to sleep in, food to eat. That's the good part," Fred said. He didn't seem to sure of himself. JoJo didn't know what was going to happen next, and it didn't seem like Fred knew any better either.

"I hope it's the second one," JoJo said.

Fred and Coon nodded in agreement. Their expressions were grim. Not only were they in a completely different time where everything was unfamiliar, but they just risked being separated from each other for the sake of a bed. JoJo could feel the regret slipping in, but it was too late now to change their mind.

For several minutes, the boys sat in silence. The tender soon lost interest, and no more customers came into the store. JoJo nearly fell asleep, but forced himself awake. There wasn't yet time to rest - he couldn't be groggy if he had to run away from anybody.

In due time, a man came through the doors and approached them. He looked nothing like that policeman. His hair was darker and his skin lighter, and he was definitely shorter and rounder in the middle. The boys stayed seated, but on alert just in case this man tried anything.

"Hello boys. I'm Mr. Corber," this new man said. "I know I'm not the man you spoke to earlier. That was Officer Parry, he's a good man. I'm a social worker. I'm here to help. If you'll follow me, please. We were only able to find an emergency placement for the little one. What's your name?"

The boys stayed seated while Mr. Corber started for the doors and did not, in fact, follow. Corber turned back when he realized no one was following.

"JoJo."

'JoJo. But never worry, you older boys are together and everyone is nearby and guaranteed contact," Corber assured.

"Can we say no?" Fred asked.

"'Fraid not, boys," Corber said with a sympathetic smile. "You're wards of the state. I have a few questions for you when we get to the center, and tomorrow we'll need you to speak to the police so we know how to best help you. Tonight, however, you just need to get a good night's rest."

"We don't want to go nowhere without JoJo. We's brothers," Coon argued. As if to make a point, he gripped JoJo around the shoulders. The three boys stood now, with JoJo in the middle and everyone connected by arms. Corber gave another sad smile, but wasn't otherwise fazed.

"I'm sure of that, boys, but we can only do so much. We'll get all three of you to the center, where you two boys can stay overnight. We'll do our best to keep the both of you together. JoJo's foster parents will be picking him up after questions, and we have a meal and bed ready for the both of you. Please, you can all sit in the back. It's not a permanent separation."

Begrudgingly, the boys followed Corber this time out to his carriage. They all sat in the backseat, with Corber behind the magic wheel. As the carriage started, they seemed to be able to find the only area in New York that wasn't slow-going, as they moved at a pace that made JoJo nauseous.

"I feel like I'm about to throw up," JoJo whispered.

"You're not the only one," said Coon.

"Shh," Fred said in a low voice. "We have to do this. If we don't see each other tomorrow, meet where we met the man in the alley."

"Okay," said JoJo.

The rest of the carriage ride was silent. No one dared speak, or throw up for that matter. They stopped at a tall brick building reminsicent of the old newsboys lodging building.

Corber got out of the car and opened the door for the boys. He urged them out and led them into the building. It wasn't exactly spacious, but it was colorful and comfortable enough. There was one child sitting asleep in a chair, perhaps waiting for someone.

There was a lady waiting by a yellow table with some kind of wooden toy on it. The toy had colorful wooden things on it that JoJo imagined would move on the curved wooden wires that spun and dipped and fell.

"JoJo, this is Mrs. Hiro, she'll be your caseworker," Corber introduced. "She's here to ask you a few questions. I'll be with your friends. You're all safe now."

Mrs. Hiro was a short woman with black hair and glasses that looked like an oval pinched up on one side. She grinned kindly at JoJo. Corber urged JoJo towards her, and she led him to a small office with a large window so everyone could see them but not hear them. This office was just as colorful as the room outside it, with just as many toys and books and colorful things.

"JoJo, Mr. and Mrs. Trubeau will be on their way very soon. They're good people, you'll like them. They've taken in quite a few kids, have adopted a few. I just need you to answer a few questions for me, is that okay?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. Okay, can you tell me your full name?" Mrs. Hiro asked. She held a wooden board in her hand with a thick layer of white sheets on it. JoJo hoped he wouldn't have to answer so many questions as to fill up all those sheets.

"JoJo Nowak."

"Do you have a middle name?"

"I don't - I don't remember," JoJo said. He frowned. He really didn't remember. Maybe he'd been given one as a baby, but he hadn't seen his parents in years. All he knew was his first and last name and his age and birthday.

"Hm. I'll just write down that you don't. When's your birthday?"

"August seventeenth." Two days from now, but it was also a few months ago. This was all very confusing.

"Two days from now. Happy early birthday. How old are you?" Mrs. Hiro smiled and kept writing everything JoJo said down on the sheet. He wished he could read so he knew what she was writing.

"Seven."

"Turning seven or are seven?"

"Um...," Jo started. He considered it for a moment. He'd only been seven for a couple months. He wasn't ready for even more change yet. He decided he would stay seven in this time and turn eight when he got back to Old York. "Turning."

"Congratulations. Okay, have you been to the doctors recently?"

"I don't think I've ever been to see a doctor," JoJo admitted.

"Never?" Mrs. Hiro frowned. That was a bad thing, apparently. That was usually a good thing in Old York. "Okay. What can you tell me about your family?"

"Don't have one. Me mom and dad left when I was five," JoJo said. "I lived with a man for a little while, but not long. I've been with Fred and Coon for a while."

"You've been living on your own? How long?"

"Um. It's hard to say. Seems like forever. Coon and Fred are like my brothers. They've been there forever and always. But I don't think it's - it was in the winter."

As Mrs. Hiro wrote this down, there were a few grueling moments of silence. JoJo wanted this interrogation to end. There were too many questions and he didn't want her to think he was strange. People got sent to asylums for being strange and he'd heard they were real bad places.

"What school do you attend?" she asked.

"School? I don't go to school. Don't know how to read." JoJo immediately wished he hadn't said that. His face flushed red with embarrassment.

"I see. That's all the questions I have for you. Do you have any for me?"

"Are Fred and Coon gonna be okay? Are they gonna get hurt?"

"No. You are your friends are out of harm's way, now."

"Will I be able to see them? Everyday?" JoJo asked. He gave his best pout in hopes of encouraging Mrs. Hiro to let him have this.

"That's up to your foster family, but I can mandate maybe a weekly visit. Other than that..."

"Oh."

"Hm. Let me tell you a secret. It's not gonna be so bad. The people in this program are trained to be moms and dads for kids who don't have them or who's moms and dads can't take care of them. You are your friends will be in good hands. I have something for you. Your foster family will give you everything you need, but not necessarily everything you want. That's family for you," Mrs Hiro stopped and thought for a moment. She opened a drawer and took out three toys in weird clear casing that was similar to some of the casing at the food store. "Here, you can pick any one of these that you want."

The toys looked like nothing JoJo had ever seen before. One made a noise when he pressed a button and was shaped like a very muscular man. Another had small and wrongly proportioned horses that were cute and pink. The third toy was shaped like a train. It didn't make any noises, but it looked like one of the trains from Old York. Not an orphan train, but a better one.

"Woah. What does this one do? And this one? And this one?"

"Just one, kiddo." Mrs. Hiro laughed. JoJo thought she probably did this for every orphan boy and girl, but he didn't care. These toys were awesome.

"I'll take this one." JoJo grabbed the train. It reminded him of home, and he thought he might like to have a reminder. The train was small enough to fit in his pocket. Its moving wheels would make for a good thing to fidget with, he thought.

"That's a good choice," Mrs. Hiro said. She glanced out the window and stood from her chair. "Looks like Mr. and Mrs. Trubeau are waiting in the lobby for you. I'll come out with you."

"Oh. Okay." JoJo said, disappointed. He'd been hoping to stay here a while longer.

"Hello, Tim! Jasmine!" Mrs. Hiro greeted. How often did she see this man and woman? "It's nice to see you again. This is JoJo. Thank you for taking him in on such short notice. This is all of his information - keep mind that his birthday is in two days. Turning seven!" Mrs. Hiro handed over the thick pad of sheets. Tim and Jasmine took it willingly - apparently this was something they did often, so JoJo wasn't surprised.

The man and woman turned towards JoJo and grinned. Tim bent at his waist somewhat to look JoJo in the eyes. Ugh, JoJo thought, he's one of those adults.

"Hi JoJo! Can I call you Joey?" Tim said.

"Um...No, that's just for Coon."

"Alright, that's fair. I'm Tim, and this is my wife, Jasmine. That's a nice toy you have!" Tim put his arm around Jasmine and pointed at the train that JoJo was now fidgeting with. It fit very well in his hand.

"We have a bed and pajamas prepared for you, and tomorrow we'll get you some clothes, okay? Come on, the other kids are excited to meet you but they've been instructed to keep quiet for tonight," Jasmine said.

"Okay." JoJo thought quiet sounded very good right about now. He didn't see Coon or Fred anywhere. His heart beat fast in his chest and he hoped they were safe.

Tim and Jasmine led JoJo outside to another carriage. This one moved a lot slower with all the other carriages in the area up until they arrived in an area with tall houses and carriages sitting on the side of the road. That's where they stopped and entered an old brownstone. Even JoJo recognized what those buildings were called.

The inside of the building was nice. There were photos in color (color!) all around the house exhibiting three children that JoJo figured must have been the ones they'd adopted. There were colorful things in the house JoJo assumed were for a small boy, in addition to a tub filled with assorted toys that JoJo guessed would have been fit for any child. JoJo knew one things - the toys in this time were much better than the ones in Old York, or maybe he just couldn't afford the good ones.

"Welcome home, buddy. Let's get you cleaned up. We'll draw you a warm bath, and Jasmine just made dinner," Tim said. He took off his shoes at the door so JoJo did the same, but he didn't dare take off his hat or his bandana. If he was urged to, he vowed he would never let them take them off of him.

"Okay."

Jasmine sat JoJo down at the table. A girl about his age was sitting quietly on the floor nearby, staring curiously but otherwise not engaging him. JoJo wished she would either stop staring or just say something. He wasn't a zoo animal.

The food was long spindles of what JoJo assumed was some sort of grain. It was covered in some sort of liquidey red paste. It was too much for him to handle and he stopped at a few bites. He guessed wasn't hungry anyway.

"Don't like it or don't feel like eating?" Jasmine said gently.

"Not hungry."

"That's okay. Come on, I drew you a bath. I set out some pajamas for you. I hope you like Spiderman," Jasmine said. JoJo wondered what Spiderman was while she led him upstairs to a bathroom. Why would he like a man shaped like a spider? Or a spider shaped like a man?

Inside the bathroom was an indoor toilet which JoJo found incredible. Every room in this house seemed to have electric lighting, which JoJo found himself marveling at. The bathroom also had a sink and a white tub with bubbles and a fake yellow duck floating in it. A change of clothes, including the red and blue pajamas, was set on the counter. There was a tall bin beside the counter with clothing in. He was instructed to just put his soiled clothing in the "hamper", which he assumed was that tall bin.

"Thanks," JoJo said.

"You're welcome," Jasmine said. She closed the door behind him and left JoJo to his own devices, which JoJo was grateful for.

"Spider...man? Huh." The pajamas had a man on it with a red and blue costume with a web-like design on it. Not very spider-like. Nonetheless, JoJo entertained himself. He discovered how to use an indoor toilet, as well as a sink.

Soon, though, he found himself in the warmest and comfiest bath he ever took. He settled there for a while, thinking about how his day had down. Drowsiness was now starting to hit him, and he was getting groggy and tired. He didn't want to get out of the bath, though, as he had discovered he could make himself a beard and a hat out of the bubbles and make himself look like St Nick.

"JoJo," Tim shouted through the door. "You alright in there?"

"Yes!" JoJo shouted back. He dried himself off quickly and got dressed, not quite sure how to drain this tub considering it wasn't a bucket he could throw out. He'd even washed his hair, but he wore his very dirty bandana anyway, hat in hand.

"Okay, come out when you're done. We've got your bed all set up for you. You'll have to share with our little one, Eric, but he's a heavy sleeper. Shouldn't bother you."

"Thanks," JoJo said. He looked at his reflection in the mirror. He hadn't realized how much dirt and grime was on his face and under his fingernails. He liked feeling clean. Maybe this time wasn't so bad.

He opened the door to see Tim sitting in a chair reading a book down the hall. Tim saw his bandana and faltered, but must have decided it best not to push JoJo to take it off.

"Hi there," he said with a soft smile. "So this is the bathroom. That's your bedroom right there and mine and Jasmine's is right there at the end. Do you need anything?"

JoJo's bedroom was at the right end of the hall where the walls met at a diagonal. His door was the one of the left. The adults' bedroom was the very last door at the left end of the hall.

"Do you have numbers to use so I can talk to Coon and Fred?" JoJo asked.

"You mean a phone number? I have the center's, yes. We can call them in the morning, but I believe it's past curfew for them. Sorry, buddy. If you need anything tonight, feel free to come in and wake us up."

"Thanks." JoJo sighed and went on his way to the bedroom. A toddler was already asleep in a crib. There was a bunkbed setup with the top already taken and occupied by a sleeping boy, so JoJo set up on the bottom bunk. The covers were soft and comfortable and curiously moving stars on the ceiling that JoJo didn't really care the origin of lulled him to sleep after a long, long day.


End file.
